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STUDENT  SELF-HELP 


UNIVERSITY 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


August 

1923 


Published 


Self-help  Department 

OF 

Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PARAGRAPH  PAGE 

Amount  of  cash  to  bring  with  you.  IV  6 

Applications  for  self-help . Ill  6 

Attitude  towards  the  job . XIII  11 

Class  schedule  and  self-help . V  7 

Competition . VIII  9 

Consideration  for  the  customer ....  XVI  13 

Expenses  per  quarter . XXII  19 

Fellowships . XXVII  22 

Free  tuition . . XXIV  19 

“Hero  Blood” . XIV  12 

Initiative . IX  9 

Introduction . I  5 

It  can  be  done . XXX  24 

Loan  funds . XXV  20 

Misleading  information . II  5 

Out-side  loans . XXVI  21 

Past  trade  or  profession . VII  8 

Patience  or  “stickability” . XI  10 

Physical  make-up  of  the  worker ...  X  10 

Preparatory  expenses  and  self-help  .XX  17 

Procrastination . i . . .  XV  13 

Scholarships . . .  XXIII  19 

Self-help  and  “social  standard”. . . .  XIX  17 

Self-help  opportunities  by  classes.  .XXVIII  22 
Self-help  record  system  at  Carolina.  .XXI  18 
Student  Employment  Association.  .XXIX  25 

Summer  work . XVII  14 

Swain  Hall  and  other  waiterships.  VI  8 

Types  of  men  who  fail . XII  11 

Types  of  work  being  done . XVIII  15 


STUDENT  SELF-HELP 


AT  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


August 

1923 


Published 

BY 

Self-help  Department 

OF 

Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association 


This  booklet  is  definitely  designed  for  the 
use  of  those  who  are,  or  are  to  be,  self-help 
students  at  the  University  of  North  Carolina. 
Its  suggestions  are  based  on  the  experiences 
of  scores  of  Carolina  men  who  have  traveled 
the  self-help  trail.  Read  it  carefully,  for  it 
should  save  you  many  blunders  and  hard¬ 
ships. 


2 


STUDENT  SELF-HELP 


I.  INTRODUCTION :  The  purpose  of  this 
bulletin  is  to  state  frankly  and  fairly  the  prob¬ 
lems  which  confront  a  yonng  man  who  starts 
out  with  the  determination  to  earn  a  part  or  all 
of  his  expenses  through  college.  It  first  fur¬ 
nishes  information  as  to  how  to  connect  up  with 
the  Self-help  Bureau,  and  in  general  how  to 
make  use  of  the  organization  as  an  aid  in  seek¬ 
ing  employment.  This  Bulletin  also  explains 
the  specific  types  of  work  being  done  by 
students,  the  available  scholarships,  the  ques¬ 
tion  of  free  tuition,  the  loan  funds,  etc.  Here 
and  there  throughout  these  pages  there  ap¬ 
pears  also  numerous  hints,  indicating  danger 
points,  and  some  of  the  definite  problems 
which  confront  the  worker.  Every  self-help 
student  should  take  time  to  read  this  entire 
booklet,  and  those  who  are  new  students 
should  do  so  before  leaving  home  this  fall. 
After  reading  it,  do  not  throw  it  away,  but 
pass  is  on  to  some  other  fellow  who  either 
is,  or  expects  to  be,  a  self-help  man  at  this 
or  some  other  school.  If  you  are  inclined  to 
be  discouraged  over  the  list  of  “problems’" 
pointed  out  here,  turn  to  the  last  paragraph. 
Also  let  us  remind  you  that  more  than  half 
the  student  body  belong  to  the  self-help  group 
and  that  it  is  by  no  means  an  unusual  thing 
for  students  to  earn  their  way  through  the 
University. 

II.  MISLEADING  INFORMATION :  Many  new 
men  are  mislead  by  information  which  they 
got  over  the  State  in  some  indirect  way.  The 
slightest  encouragement  given  an  aspiring 
freshman  by  some  friend  of  the  family,  after 
passing  through  two  or  three  months,  often 
evolutes  into  a  “definite  promise  of  a  job  in 
Swain  Hall,”  long  before  the  boy  reaches  the 


University.  The  friend  did  not  intend  to  mis¬ 
lead  you,  for  as  a  matter  of  fact,  no  jobs  are 
assigned  in  advance  of  the  arrival  of  the  boy, 
except  the  Swain  Hall  waiterships,  and  this 
assignment  is  made  in  writing.  It  isn’t  even 
desirable  from  the  standpoint  of  the  student 
to  close  the  agreement  for  most  jobs  in  ad¬ 
vance  of  registration.  He  should  know  first 
just  what  amount  of  time  his  school  duties 
will  allow  him  to  give  to  out-side  work,  and 
whether  the  work  is  a  thing  which  he  CAN 
do,  or  would  LIKE  to  do.  Too,  the  employer 
should  have  some  choice  of  the  man  he  is  to 
hire. 

III.  APPLICATION  FOR  SELF-HELP:  If 
you  are  sure  of  your  need  for  self-help  in 
advance  of  coming  to  college,  you  should  write 
in  to  the  Self-help  Bureau  for  an  application 
blank,  either  during  the  spring  or  early  sum¬ 
mer  prior  to  your  entering.  Unless  your  ap¬ 
plication  is  in  by  the  middle  of  August,  your 
name  will  not  be  considered  for  a  waitership. 
If  you  do  not  want  a  waitership,  you  may  apply 
for  blank  at  any  time,  either  before  or  after 
reaching  the  University,  according  as  the 
degree  of  your  need  may  prompt  you. 

IV.  AMOUNT  OF  CASH  TO  BRING  WITH 
AOU:  There  are  some  men  entering  every 
fall,  who  bring  no  cash  at  all  with  them.  These 
men  are  definitely  in  for  rough  sailing,  that  is 
unless  they  have  ready  borrowing  power,  per¬ 
sonally,  or  through  parents  or  friends.  It  is 
highly  desirable  that  he  bring  enough  with 
him  to  take  care  of  the  first  term’s  fees  and 
room  rent,  and  really  should  have  enough  also 
to  pay  first  month’s  board  unless  he  has  a 
waitership.  There  should  be  available  from 
some  source,  other  than  his  own  self-help  work, 
enough  at  the  beginning  of  each  quarter  to  pay 
fees  and  room  rent.  With  the  few  hours  left 
at  his  disposal  after  taking  care  of  school 


4 


duties,  the  average  man  will  do  well  to  make 
board  money.  What  we  have  said  here  applies 
to  the  academic  student.  If  you  are  in  any 
one  of  the  professional  departments,  see  para¬ 
graph  V.  The  course  you  take  very  directly  af¬ 
fects  the  nature  of  your  class  schedule,  and  of 
course  there  is  a  most  vital  connection 
between  class  schedule  and  the  amount  of 
time  one  has  for  self-help. 

V.  CLASS  SCHEDULE  AND  SELF-HELP:  It 
is  well  to  remember  that  as  a  self-help  stu¬ 
dent  you  have  two  separate  and  distinct  sched¬ 
ules  to  relate  successfully  to  each  other,  a 
thing  that  is  not  always  easy  to  do.  For  in¬ 
stance,  if  you  are  to  take  Engineering  or  Medi¬ 
cine,  your  opportunities  for  self-help  are 
VERY  limited,  because  class,  shop,  and  labora¬ 
tory  schedules  keep  you  on  duty  practically 
ALL  day  every  day  of  the  week,  and  when  you 
add  to  this  the  usual  amount  of  studying  at 
night,  there  is  little  if  any  time  at  all  left  for 
outside  work.  Pharmacy  students  also  have 
some  dfficulty  in  this  line,  while  Law  and 
Commerce  men  are  not  entirely  free  from  it. 
A  student  who  is  specializing  in  science,  partic¬ 
ularly  in  Chemistry,  will  also  experience  a 
shortage  of  spare  time.  To  all  men  of  the  pro¬ 
fessional  and  scientific  courses  we  would  offer 
the  suggestion  that  you  rely  heavily  upon  other 
sources  than  your  own  work  while  in  school. 
That  is,  look  into  the  question  of  possible  loans, 
first  back  at  home,  and  also  here  at  the  Uni¬ 
versity,  and  put  forth  your  best  efforts  to  lay  up 
the  largest  possible  savings  out  of  summer  and 
other  vacation  work. 

Candidates  for  the  A.B.  degree  should  en¬ 
counter  little  difficulty  in  earning  board  while 
in  school,  for  they  have  more  time  than  any 
other  students.  One  very  important  point  to 
observe,  however,  is  that  of  properly  arrang¬ 
ing  your  class  schedule  when  you  register.  As 


5 


far  as  possible  bunch  your  classes  within  the 
early  hours  of  the  mornings.  The  Dean  will 
be  glad  to  assist  you  in  working  this  out.  If 
it  were  possible  for  you  to  finish  your  three 
classes  within  the  first  three  periods  of  the 
morning,  for  instance,  it  would  leave  from 
six  to  eight  hours  a  day  for  outside  work.  Make 
this  your  goal  and  approach  it  as  nearly  as 
possible.  One  or  two  hours  between  classes 
is  worth  very  little  in  self-help. 

VI.  SWAIN  HALL  AND  OTHER  WAITER- 
SHIPS:  There  are  only  50  waiters  used  in 
Swain  Hall.  Twenty-five  of  these  are  given  to 
old  men  who  were  there  the  past  year,  on  the 
basis  of  merit;  and  25  to  incoming  freshmen. 
The  old  men  are  appointed  and  notified  be¬ 
fore  the  summer  closes.  The  new  men  are 
selected  from  the  applications  that  come  in 
prior  to  August  20th,  and  are  notified  by  Sep¬ 
tember  1st.  These  selections  are  made  on  the 
basis  of  need.  All  who  apply  for  Swain  Hall 
are  notified  on  September  1st,  that  they  did,  or 
did  not,  (as  the  case  may  be)  get  an  appoint¬ 
ment  to  a  waitership.  Those  who  did  not  get 
it,  will  have  time  to  get  interested  in  some 
other  form  of  self-help,  and  we  call  to  their 
attention  paragraph  XVIII.  In  addition  to  the 
waiterships  in  Swain  Hall,  there  are  several 
boarding  houses  in^  the  town  that  employ 
student  waiters.  Most  of  these  houses  get 
their  men  through  the  Self-help  Bureau, 
though  it  is  entirely  proper  for  you  to  make 
your  application  directly  to  the  landlady,  for 
if  she  wishes  to  confer  with  the  Biureau,  she 
will  not  hesitate  to  do  so.  As  a  rule  these 
boarding  house  waiterships  are  not  granted 
until  the  student  is  on  the  grounds  and  can 
talk  with  the  manager  in  person. 

VII.  A  TRADE  OR  PROFESSION:  There 
are  many  trades  that  are  called  for  regularly, 


6 


and  that  pay  twice  as  much  per  hour  as  ordi¬ 
nary  day  labor.  An  experienced  stenographer, 
for  instance,  can  make  from  forty  to  sixty 
cents  an  hour.  We  do  not  mean,  by  “steno¬ 
grapher,”  one  who  has  just  finished  a  course 
in  shorthand  and  typing  in  high  school,  but 
one  who  has  developed  commercial  speed  and 
accuracy.  However,  there  are  opportunities 
for  typing  alone,  and  many  fellows  have 
“typed”  their  way  through  school.  There  are 
many  other  lines  of  special  training  or  ex¬ 
perience,  that  can  be  capitalized,  and  if  you 
have  any  special  line  at  all,  we  urge  that  you 
keep  in  training.  If  however,  a  fellow  has  no 
special  trade,  and  comes  direct  from  the  farm, 
there  are  many  jobs  open  for  him  also.  Most 
of  the  work  calls  for  “unskilled”  labor. 

VIII.  COMPETITION :  This  problem  grows 
bigger  and  bigger  each  year,  because  of  the 
rapid  growth  in  the  size  of  the  student  body. 
The  population  of  the  town,  is  only  about  half 
the  size  of  the  student  body,  and  of  course  the 
comparative  number  of  jobs  is  very  low.  This 
of  course  means  that  the  working  student  faces 
keen  competition,  and  that  he  cannot  be  very 
choice  in  the  work  he  takes — nor  afraid  to 
take  ANY  KIND  of  work  that  is  available. 

IX.  INITIATIVE:  This  is  a  very  precious 
‘stock-in-trade”  to  the  worker.  Competition 
demands  that  you  have  initiative,  and  here  is 
just  what  we  mean  by  it:  It  is  entirely  proper 
for  a  student  to  go  right  over  the  head  of  the 
Self-help  Bureau  and  anchor  himself  in  a  good 
job,  if  he  can  find  it.  In  fact,  one  of  the  defi¬ 
nite  functions  of  the  Bureau,  and  the  Self- 
help  Organization,  is  that  of  training  men  in 
the  practice  of  unearthing  jobs  for  themselves 
in  order  that  they  may  get  on  the  Independent 
List  as  soon  as  possible.  Some  of  the  choicest 
jobs  on  the  Hill  at  present  are  those  created, 
or  developed  by  some  enterprising  student.  Be 


7 


sure  to  use  the  Bureau  every,  day,  until  all 
your  wants  are  met,  but  at  the  same  time  use 
your  own  head  and  ingenuity  along  with  the 
Bureau,  for  these  three  agencies  combined 
have  never  failed  to  keep  a  man  in  school. 
Don’t  register  with  the  Bureau  and  then  go 
off  and  wait  for  us  to  send  for  you.  The 
registering  is  simply  the  beginning  of  the 
Search  for  a  job.  Call  daily  at  the  office,  and 
ask  everybody  who  seems  to  have  work,  if 
you  can’t  do  it  for  them.  But  remember  that 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  office  is  open  to  you  all  the  year 
around,  and  will  go  the  limit  to  help  meet  your 
needs. 

X.  PHYSICAL  MAKE-UP  OF  THE  WORKER: 

This  quality  relates  directly  to  one’s  fitness  for 
many  jobs.  The  customer  frequently  calls  for 
a  certain  size,  or  type  of  worker.  Some 
physical  handicap  may  limit  your  possibility 
to  one  or  two  types  of  work.  You  may  be  of 
such  general  health  that  you  should  not  work 
indoors,  etc.  Consider  these. 

XI.  PATIENCE  OR  “STICK ABILITY”:  St. 
James  said:  “ — let  patience  have  her  perfect 
work,  that  ye  may  be  perfect  and  entire,  want 
ing  nothing.”  We  refer  here  to  that  type  of 
patience  which  is  some  times  called,  “Sticka- 
bility.”  Don’t  give  up  because  the  way  seems 
dark  and  the  road  rough,  and  you  don’t  get  a 
job  the  first  time  you  call  at  the  Self-help  of¬ 
fice.  Remember,  the  Self-help  Committee 
stands  between  you  and  those  who  could  put 
you  out  of  school  for  non-payment  of  bills.  So, 
let  the  Committee  be  the  ones  to  decide  when 
you  should  pack-up  and  start  back  home  “for 
lack  of  funds.”  Only,  you  stay  close  around 
the  Self-help  office  as  long  as  you  are  without 
a  job,  then  YOU’LL  be  the  one  on  hand  when  a 
job  turns  up.  The  way  often  seems  dark,  but 
every  fellow  who  is  willing  to  STICK,  to  keep 
up  his  courage,  and  help  the  committee  fight 


8 


out  his  case,  gets  by.  There  is  no  record  of  a 
fellow  of  this  type  ever  having  left  the  Uni¬ 
versity  without  his  diploma. 

XII.  TYPES  OF  MEN  WHO  FAIL:  There  is 
a  brand  of  tender-footed,  cold-shouldered,  late 
sleeping  fellows  who  aren’t  worth  much  as  a 
labor  force  in  the  community.  They  are 
more  concerned  about:  “WHAT  KIND  of 
work  have  you?”  than  about  “have  you  ANY 
work  today?”  They  are  very  sensitive  to 
weather  conditions;  will  not  work  if  it  is  too 
hot,  or  too  cold,  or  too  wet,  or  if  the  job 
sounds  too  hard.  Yes,  it  is  hard  to  roll  your 
sleeves  up  and  go  at  it,  hot  or  cold,  wet  or  dry, 
throughout  the  year,  but  we  haven’t  at  any 
time  called  it  an  easy  job — this  thing  of  work¬ 
ing  one’s  way  through  college.  Most  Carolina 
men  go  through  this  without  a  “bobble,”  be¬ 
cause  they  are  made  of  the  REAL  STUFF,  but 
there  are  a  few  who  are  just  simply  not  so 
made.  A  self-help  career  will  show  you  up 
from  the  beginning,  and  if  you  are  afraid  of 
your  “metal”  as  to  its  quality — you  had  better 
not  come  to  college  as  a  self-help  student.  We 
have  had  men  who  would  flunk  a  course  rather 
than  break  a  promise,  and  it  was  men  of  this 
type  who  put  self-help  on  the  map.  What 
sacrifice  will  you  make  to  keep  it  there,  and 
to  make  possible  your  diploma  and  that  of 
hundreds  of  fellows  who  shall  follow  you  in 
years  to  come? 

XIII.  A  STUDENT'S  ATTITUDE  TOWARDS 
THE  JOB:  The  work  done  around  Chapel  Hill 
by  self-help  students,  is  just  the  usual,  normal 
work  that  falls  within  the  natural  routine  of 
home  and  community  life,  here  or  any  where 
else.  When  you  were  back  home,  your  family 
didn’t  provide  a  wood  pile  to  be  cut  up,  a  cow 
to  be  milked,  yards  to  be  raked  and  gardens 
to  be  worked,  and  all  the  rest,  just  to  give  you 
an  opportunity  for  exercise.  But  rather,  it 


9 


was  work  found  necessary  to-  the  comfort  and 
livelihood  of  the  family.  Nor  is  there  any 
work  around  Chapel  Hill  that  is  trumped  up 
just  to  let  students  make  some  expense  money. 
It  is  the  usual  amount  of  work  necessary 
everywhere,  and  the  self-help  committee  has 
persuaded  an  increasing  numbers  of  homes 
and  places  of  business  to  lay  off  their  regular 
servants  in  order  that  we  might  have  these 
jobs  for  needy  students.  Therefore  if  you  are 
an  honest  self-help  student,  your  attitude  to¬ 
ward  this  work  will  be  that  of  determination 
to  do  justice  to  the  job,  and  to  satisfy  the  em¬ 
ployer — not  to  try  to  make  the  job  suit  YOUR 
convenience.  A  few  fellows  feel  that  a  job  is 
created  solely  for  their  convenience,  and  that 
any  time  it  proves  a  bit  inconvenient,  or  that 
their  need  for  it  is  less  keen  that  it  used  to 
be,  why  it  is  perfectly  proper  to  quit  the  job 
and  walk  out,  with  little  if  any  notice,  either 
to  the  Self-help  Bureau  or  to  the  employer. 
This  one  particular  attitude  is  the  source  of 
more  dissatisfaction  between  the  office  and 
customers  than  all  other  troubles  combined. 
Hence  this  paragraph.  Here  is  the  only  stand¬ 
ard  under  which  the  Self-help  Movement  can 
succeed:  “When  a  student  promises  to  do  a 
job,  within  certain  hours,  during  those  hours 
he  has  agreed  upon  he  is  in  NO  SENSE  A 
STUDENT,  BUT  IS  A  WORKMAN,  responsible 
for  the  job  under  contract.”  All  self-help 
students  should  be  willing  to  inconvenience 
themselves  often  if  need  be,  in  order  to  take 
care  of  a  customer. 

Another  damaging  attitude  of  mind  on  the 
part  of  the  student,  is  that  of  placing  his  own 
judgment  of  how-  the  job  ought  to  be  done 
above  that  of  the  customer.  This  has  been 
found  particularly  true  on  the  part  of  those 
who  get  janitoring  jobs. 

XIV.  “HERO  BLOOD”:  Many  nice  speeches 
have  been  made,  by  different  University 


10 


speakers,  on  “The  Heroism  of  The  Self-help 
Student.”  We  have  bragged  on  them,  we  have 
idolized  them.  The  average  run  of  them  de¬ 
served  this  praise,  but  with  a  few  it  “went  to 
their  heads,”  and  has  had  a  damaging  effect. 
The  moment  a  fellow  thinks  he  should  receive 
a  penny  more  than  he  has  earned  by  hard, 
honest  toil,  he  has  proven  himself  unworthy 
even  of  an  apportunity  to  work  his  way 
through  college,  and  he  is  an  undesirable  citi¬ 
zen  on  the  campus.  He  is  not  a  true  Caro¬ 
lina  man  and  is  not  wanted  here. 

XV.  PROCRASTINATION :  Procrastination 
is  not  only  the  “thief  of  time,”  hut  of  the  neces¬ 
sary  amount  of  money,  on  the  part  of  the  self- 
help  student  who  yields  to  the  temptation  not 
to  “press  the  collar”  at  work  till  registration 
fees  and  board  come  due  when  the  month 
is  ^one  and  the  bills  are  presented,  then  he 
gets  all  excited  and  “must  have  a  big  paying 
job  at  once,  or  must  pack  up  and  go  home.” 
Roughly  speaking,  one  hour  represents  one 
meal,  which  means  that  a  student  who  makes 
no  more  than  board,  will  have  to  average  three 
hours  per  day  at  self-help  work  throughout  the 
year.  There  are  some  days,  Saturday  for  in¬ 
stance,  when  one  can  put  in  from  4  to  as 
many  as  8  or  10  hours  at  work.  But  he  makes 
a  fatal  mistake  who  wastes  hours  of  time  dur¬ 
ing  the  week  because  he  expects  to  make  it 
up  on  Saturday.  In  the  first  place,  Saturday 
MAY  not  bring  the  work  needed  for  full  time,, 
or  some  other  obstacle  may  be  found  in  the 
way.  THRIFT  in  the  self-help  ranks  is  a  won¬ 
derfully  wise  policy,  and  by  THRIFT  we  mean 
the  saving  not  merely  of  dollars,  but  of  hours 
as  well.  The  self-help  student  who  converts 
every  hour  into  cash  as  fast  as  he  finds  op¬ 
portunity,  is  the  wise  man,  and  is  the  one  who 
will  “make  the  port.” 

XVI.  PROPER  CONSIDERATION  FOR  THE 
CUSTOMER:  This  is  a  quality  in  general  self- 

11 


help  work  of  most  vital  importance.  In  other 
words,  the  way  students  treat  each  job  and 
customer  they  serve,  means  popularity,  or  the 
“black  eye,”  to  self-help  for  all  others  who- 
shall  come  afterwards.  If  he  goes  with  a  cheap, 
disgruntled,  half-hearted  attitude  towards  his 
work,  he  spoils  a  customer  then  and  there. 
Unless  we  can  maintain  a  “spirit  of  widening 
and  enlarging  opportunities  for  self-help/’  on 
the  part  of  every  student  engaged,  we  will  not 
be  able  to  maintain  even  the  present  opportu¬ 
nities.  We  must  keep  this  spirit  so  strong, 
that  men  will  be  willing  to  take  jobs  at  times 
when  they  do  not  even  need  to  work  any  more, 
taking  it  for  the  sake  of  service  in  the  name 
of  self-help.  If  all  were  watchful  to  see  that 
our  customers  are  properly  taken  care  of, 
why,  there  would  be  plenty  of  work  available 
at  all  times. 

* 

XVII.  SUMMER  WORK:  Unless  for  reason 
of  bad  health,  certainly  no  self-help  student 
should  think  of  idling  through  a  summer,  or 
any  appreciable  part  thereof.  In  the  majority 
of  cases  a  fellow  can  have  a  job  “cinched” 
before  the  end  of  the  spring  quarter,  and  can 
go  directly  from  school  to  a  remunerative  sum¬ 
mer  job.  Often  it  is  desirable  to  take  a  week 
or  two  at  the  beginning  of  the  summer,  for  a 
complete  change,  or  recreation,  before  going 
to  work,  but  don’t  do  this  if  it  means  the  loss 
of  the  job.  There  are  many  students  with  us 
now  who  make  enough  during  the  summer 
months  to  render  it  unnecessary  for  them  to 
work  at  all  during  the  school  year,  so  that 
they  can  apply  all  their  time  to  school  work 
and  activities.  Every  man  should  make  his 
summer  earnings  and  savings  sufficient  to 
take  care  of  his  first  quarter’s  fees,  room  rent, 
and  first  month’s  board;  if  not  sufficient  to  do 
this  for  each  quarter.  The  above  suggestions 
as  to  summer  employment  apply  as  well  to  fel¬ 
lows  just  out  of  high]  school,  who  expect 


12 


to  come  to  college  in  the  fall.  It  is  almost 
tragic  to  come  up  to  college  for  the  first  time, 
without  money  enough  to  pay  your  fees.  Some 
men  do  this  every  fall,  but  it  is  a  hard  life 
and  not  a  few  are  unable  to  stand  the  pres¬ 
sure.  We  definitely  advise  you  to  bring  at 
least  $50.00  with  you. 

XVIII.  TYPES  OF  WORK  BEING  DONE: 

There  were  more  than  60  different  sorts  of  jobs 
on  the  list  last  year,  engaging  the  services  of 
between  600  and  700  students.  These  jobs  are 
of  two  general  types:  Permanent  assignments, 
which  call  for  definite  schedule  daily,  agreed 
upon  by  the  worker  and  employer;  and  the 
Daily  Job  Assignment,  to  various  short,  call 
jobs  around  town.  In  the  first  class  the  stu¬ 
dent  knows  exactly  what  to  depend  upon  and 
how  best  to  meet  the  requirements — features 
that  make  of  this,  more  desirable  to  students 
than  the  second  class.  The  latter  type,  how¬ 
ever,  enables  the  student  to  more  nearly  fit 
his  class  schedule  to  the  work  calls,  and  thus 
get  in  a  total  of  more  hours  for  the  month,  and 
at  the  same  time  is  not  confined  by  contract 
to  a  continuous  job.  The  fact  we  find  our¬ 
selves  in  a  small  town,  limits  the  number  of 
available  jobs  in  the  first  class,  and  a  student 
need  not  be  surprised  when  he  is  told  “there 
are  no  more  permanent  jobs.”  There  is  a 
daily  schedule  for  “short  job  assignments.” 
The  customers  call  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  office  during 
the  morning,  and  sometimes  the  evening  be¬ 
fore,  and  file  their  requests  for  a  worker.  Stu¬ 
dents  call  at  the  office  during  the  morning  and 
sign  up  for  work  for  the  afternoon.  Imme¬ 
diately  after  lunch,  then,  those  who  signed  up, 
call  by  the  office  and  get  assignments  for  after¬ 
noon’s  work.  There  are  also  many  emergency, 
or  hurry  calls  for  workers,  that  may  come  at 
any  hour.  To  fill  such  calls  we  are  constantly 
sending  out  to  the  rooms  of  self-help  men  and 
giving  them  assignments  from  there. 


13 


The  following  list  shows  samples  of  the 
sort  of  work  students  are  doing: 

Waiting  on  tables 
Washing  dishes 
Scrubbing  floors 
Washing  windows 
Raking  leaves 
Cutting  wood 
Shoveling  coal 
Firing  furnaces 
Ditching 
Tilling  gardens 
Electrical  engineering 
Janitoring  buildings 
Keeping  athletic  grounds 
Stenography 
Typing 
Painting 

Automobile  laundry 
Auto  mechanics 
Construction  work 
Insurance  agents 
Time  keepers 
Printing 
Clerical  work 
Clerking 

Working  in  restaurants 
Making  candy 
Surveying 
Various  agencies 
Coaching  under-classmen 
Operating  picture  show 
Operating  book  exchange 
Instructing 

Various  University  jobs 

Pressing  clothes 

Barbering 

Shining  shoes 

Independent  enterprises 

Keeping  home  for  absent  families 

Laundry  workers 

Bookkeeping 

Carpentering 

Boarding  house  managers 
Etc.,  etc.  14 


XIX.  SELF  HELP  AND  “SOCIAL  STAND- 
INCr”:  We  are  using  the  term  “Social,”  both  in 
the  broad  and  narrow  sense.  Speaking  from 
the  narrow,  or  “Pink-Tea”  standpoint,  there 
are  not  enough  men  on  the  campus  who  worry 
for  one  minute  about  that  “social”  rating,  to 
make  it  a  matter  of  even  passing  consequence 
in  the  life  of  the  community.  But  the  im¬ 
portant  point  of  view  is  the  broader  aspect: 
Democratically  speaking,  there  are  few  lines 
drawn  in  any  of  the  campus  activities  or  or¬ 
ganizations.  Campus  honors  go  to  men  of 
merit,  regardless  of  their  bank  accounts.  In 
fact,  the  vast  majority  of  honors  on  the  cam¬ 
pus  for  the  past  several  years  have  gone  to 
men  of  j  elf-help  rank.  Don’t  worry  for  one 
minute  about  the  “social  standard”  making  it 
hard  on  you  as  a  self-help  student.  Raw, 
rugged  honest,  MERIT  wins  in  over  95  per 
cent  of  cases  at  Chapel  Hill.  That  “social 
standard”  based  on  wealth  and  the  ability  to 
dress  and  idle  has  long  since  passed. 

The  “aristocracy  of  service,”  is  the  spirit  of 
the  Hill.  When  at  Carolina  there  is  a  worth¬ 
while  or  honorable  job  to  be  filled,  they  have 
the  habit  of  tapping  the  man  with  sleeves 
rolled  up,  and  the  sweat  of  honest  toil  upon 
his  brow. 

XX.  PREP.  EXPENSES  AND  SELF-HELP: 

The  logical  time  to  begin  working  your  way 
through  college,  is  at  the  beginning  of  your 
high  school  or  preparatory  career.  There  are 
two  ways  in  which  you  can  make  this  early 
beginning:  First,  by  making  your  prepara¬ 

tion  days  cost  you  as  little  as  possible  in 
order  to  save  your  resources  against  the  day 
of  college  expenses.  Most  fellows  know  as 
soon  as  they  enter  high  school  whether  or  not 
they  will  have  to  work  their  way  through 
college.  Such  fellows  should  waste  nothing 
and  save  all  they  can.  The  second  means  cf 
making  an  early  beginning  on  your  college  ex- 


15 


penses,  is  by  putting  in  as  much  spare  time 
as  you  can  afford,  at  remunerative  work,  and 
depositing  your  earnings  in  a  savings  account 
for  college  expenses.  Build  this  savings  ac¬ 
count  up  as  high  as  you  can  for  it  will  be 
a  source  of  comfort  and  joy  to  you  in  college 
days,  as  well  as  a  wonderfully  wise  investment. 

XXI.  SELF-HELP  RECORD  SYSTEM  AT 
THE  UNIVERSITY :  Careful  records  are  kept 
of  opportunities  for  work  in  the  community, 
and  also  a  classified  roll  of  the  students  need¬ 
ing  work.  There  is  also  a  record  kept  of  each 
individual  applicant  for  work.  In  applying  for 
work  he  is  asked  to  fill  out  a  general  informa¬ 
tion  blank,  which  blank  is  filed  at  the  office. 
Then,  on  each  man,  there  is  a  record  card  filed 
which  shows  a  complete  record,  at  any  time, 
of  all  the  jobs  to  which  he  has  been  assigned 
throughout  the  year.  There  is  further  a  com¬ 
plaint  card  filled  out  for  every  man  against 
whom  a  customer  registers  a  complaint.  The 
complaint  is  investigated,  and  if  found  valid,  it 
is  recorded  against  the  student  on  his  perma¬ 
nent  record  card.  The  student  of  course, 
knows  of  each  complaint,  as  he  is  questioned 
in  the  investigation.  If  too  many  complaints 
come  in  against  a  fellow,  and  he  seems  unable 
or  unwilling  to  make  good,  he  is  dropped  from 
the  self-help  roll.  This  same  system,  also,  of 
course,  seeks  to  protect  the  student  worker 
against  unreasonable  demands  on  the  part  of 
his  employer.  There  is  also  kept  a  Daily 
Work  Sheet  on  the  desk  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
office;  one  side  to  record  the  requests  for 
workers  that  come  in  during  the  evening  and 
morning  from  customers,  and  the  other  side 
for  students  to  come  by  during  the  morning 
hours  and  sign  up  for  work  that  afternoon. 
Assignments  are  then  made  in  order  of  applica¬ 
tion.  At  the  end  of  each  day,  this  information 
is  transferred  to  the  permanent  record  cards. 


16 


XXII.  EXPENSES:  The  following  is  a  pretty 
accurate  estimate  of  the  cost  per  quarter,  to 
a  man  who  is  running  close  to  the  minimum: 


Tuition  . $  20.00 

(Tuition  for  Law  or  Medicine,  $35.00.) 

Matriculation  fees  .  13.50 

Board  .  75.00 

Laundry  .  8.00 

Room  rent  (with  light  and  heat)  15.00 

Books  .  15.00 


Total  . $146.50 


Of  course  if  you  get  a  scholarship,  or  free 
tuition,  $20.00  is  deducted  from  this  amount. 
Then  too,  you  may  be  able  to  reduce  the 
amount  quoted  for  board,  and  perchance  man¬ 
age  to  knock  a  dollar  or  two  off  of  one  or  two 
other  items.  This  total  is  very  low,  compared 
to  the  average  cost  of  A-grade  Universities, 
even  in  the  South. 

XXIII.  SCHOLARSHIPS:  There  are  a  num¬ 
ber  of  privately  endowed  scholarships  that  pay 
tuition  in  the  Academic  Department.  Some 
of  these  are  awarded  by  the  donors,  and  others 
by  the  President  of  the  University.  Applicants 
for  these  should  send,  (1)  a  certificate  showing 
their  preparation,  (2)  and  letters,  or  testimo¬ 
nials  as  to  their  need  and  their  ability.  No 
student  should  apply  for  scholarship  who  is 
able  to  pay  tuition,  for  he  would  rob  some 
other  who  is  not  able  to  pay.  The  University 
has  many  more  application  from  NEEDY 
students  than  can  be  taken  care  of,  and  every 
scholarship  meets  a  real  need. 

XXIV.  FREE  TUITION:  Under  the  State 
law,  tuition  is  given  to  those  students  who 
sign  an  agreement  to  teach  for  two  years  after 
leaving  college.  This  agreement  is  in  the 
form  of  a  note  to  the  University  signed  by  the 
student  and  his  parent,  certifying  his  inten¬ 
tion  to  teach. 


17 


Free  tuition  is  also  given  to  sons  of  minis¬ 
ters  of  all  denominations,  and  to  students  who 
themselves  are  planning  to  enter  the  ministry. 

XXV.  LOAN  FUNDS:  It  is  not  only  hoped, 
but  definitely  expected  that  the  time  will  soon 
come  when  the  University  will  not  be  looked 
to,  either  to  build  up  or  to  administer  Loan 
Funds,  except  in  cases  of  unforseen  emergen¬ 
cies,  that  develop  after  men  get  here.  This  is 
not  the  place  for  general  loan  funds,  but  rather 
there  should  be  a  College  Loan  Fund  in  every 
town  in  the  State.  This  will  make  possible  a 
vastly  larger  total  Loan  Fund  for  the  State, 
capable  of  helping  many  times  the  present 
number  of  boys.  It  will  also  provide  a  local 
committee,  who  know  all  circumstances  of  each 
case,  and  therefore  could  more  wisely  judge 
the  merits  and  needs  of  each,  than  would  ever 
be  possible  with  a  strange  committee  ’way  off 
up  at  the  University.  Some  of  the  towns  have 
already  established  a  Loan  Fund,  and  are 
building  it  larger  and  larger  every  year.  This 
local  fund,  of  course  is  available  for  any 
deserving  and  needy  local  boy,  to  be  used  at 
any  college  he  may  decide  upon. 

There  are  several  Loan  Funds  at  the  Uni¬ 
versity  at  the  present  time,  from  which  we  can 
help  a  limited  number  of  needy  students. 
Loans  from  these  funds  are  made  for  from 
one  to  two  years  time,  at  from  4  per  cent  to 
6  per  cent  interest.  These  notes  must  have 
two  good  securities.  The  borrower  should  get 
from  the  clerk  of  the  court  a  letter  stating 
that  the  two  endorsers  are  worth  at  least  $200 
above  the  homestead,  which  letter  should  be 
attached  to  the  application  blank.  Not  over 
$50.00  may  be  borrowed  any  one  quarter,  and 
$200.00  is  the  total  limit  to  any  one  student. 
Application  for  these  loans  should  be  made  as 
far  in  advance  as  possible  and  must  be  made 
in  person  after  college  opens.  If  you  have 
borrowing  power  at  home  or  elsewhere,  you 


18 


should  borrow  there,  and  not  ask  for  a  Uni¬ 
versity  Loan,  because  these  funds  were  origi¬ 
nally  intended  for  students  who  have  no  bor¬ 
rowing  power  elsewhere.  There  is  an  “emer¬ 
gency”  loan  fund  here,  established  last  year 
by  a  friend  of  the  University,  in  the  operation 
of  which  there  is  less  “red  tape.”  It  is  in¬ 
tended  that  this  fund  be  used  for  very  short 
loans,  such  as  for  immediate  needs  while 
putting  another  loan  through,  to  be  paid  back 
as  soon  as  the  other  loan  comes.  Applica¬ 
tion  for  any  of  these  loans  should  be  made 
through  the  Office  of  Dean  of  Students.  The 
Self-help  Bureau  will  gladly  advise  with  you 
regarding  loans,  or  any  other  of  your  personal 
financial  problems  at  any  time. 

XXVI.  OUTSIDE  LOANS:  The  amount  of 
money  in  the  hands  of  the  University  for  loans 
is  limited,  and  always  will  be  too  small  to  meet 
the  total  need.  As  stated  in  the  paragraph 
above,  there  are  several  good  reasons  why 
these  funds  should  not  be  concentrated  at  the 
University.  Every  effort  should  be  made  to 
establish  College  Loan  Funds  among  the  pub¬ 
lic  organizations  back  in  the  home  towns  of 
students.  The  different  organizations  could 
each  establish  a  fund,  or,  all  local  organiza¬ 
tions  could  combine  in  raising  and  furthering 
one  central  Loan  Fund  for  the  whole  town,  ad¬ 
ministered  by  a  central  committee.  The  latter 
plan  seems  much  the  better  of  the  two.  Then 
all  local  bodies,  and  individuals  as  well,  could 
contribute  to  the  central  fund  as  fast  and  as 
often  as  possible — the  Kiwanis  Club,  Rotary 
Club,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Civitan  Club, 
various  lodges,  churches,  Sunday  Schools  and 
Sunday  School  classes,  graduating  high  school 
classes  making  a  “memorial  donation”  to  the 
Scholarship  Fund,  and  the  whole  town  join 
in  to  build  up  a  College  Scholarship  Fund 
large  enough  to  make  possible  a  college 
course  for  every  needy  and  deserving  boy  of 

19 


the  town.  In  a  few  years,  after  interest  be¬ 
gins  coming  in,  and  principal  is  being  paid 
back,  the  fund  will  not  only  revolve  and  re¬ 
main  intact,  but  from  interest  and  new  contri¬ 
butions  will  ever  grow.  Now  of  course,  from 
this  fund  it  will  be  unwise  to  loan  any  indi¬ 
vidual,  more  than  just  that  amount  which  he 
cannot  earn  himself  by  self-help  and  summer 
work  or  provide  through  other  available  fam¬ 
ily  or  personal  sources.  Several  towns  have 
already  started  such  a  loan  fund. 

There  is  also  the  other  form  of  “out-side” 
loan,  which  a  student  arranges  through  his 
family,  or  some  personal  friend.  If  you  have 
to  borrow  money,  you  should  borrow  through 
personal  source  like  this,  if  it  is  AT  ALL  pos¬ 
sible,  so  as  to  leave  all  “public”  loans  for  the 
many  fellows  who  cannot  borrow  privately.  If 
it  even  looks  like  you  may  have  to  borrow,  why, 
don’t  leave  home  without  putting  out  “feelers” 
to  find  where  you  might  be  able  to  borrow  if 
the  need  comes. 

XXVII.  FELLOWSHIP:  There  are  several 
fellowships  (part-time  laboratory  or  other  in- 
structorships)  in  different  departments,  that 
are  voted  to  students  of  upper-class  rank  whose 
grade  standing,  need,  and  character  meet  the 
requirements  for  the  place.  There  are  very 
few  of  these,  but  the  few  fellows  who  get  them 
are  fortunate  in  being  able  to  make  their  ex¬ 
penses  through  this  means.  You  must  qualify 
to  get  one  of  them,  the  time  to  begin  to  qualify 
is  in  freshman  year,  by  bringing  your  work, 
etc.,  to  such  standard  as  will  attract  the  atten¬ 
tion  of  the  committee  when  time  for  appoint¬ 
ment  of  fellowships  comes. 

XXVIII.  SELF-HELP  OPPORTUNITIES  BY 
CLASSES:  Over  fifty  per  cent  of  the  freshman 
class  are  self-help  students.  Because  they 
are  new  men,  and  unfamiliar  with  the  methods 
by  which  one  finds  his  way  into  suitable  work, 


20 


the  Self-help  Bureau  has  to  find  work  for 
practically  all  needy  freshmen.  Biy  the  time 
they  reach  sophomore  year  the  majority  of 
them  have  either  worked  their  way  into  a 
permanent  job  or  are  able  to  find  work  for 
themselves.  While  the  Bureau  assists  equally 
all  students  who  come,  regardless  of  class  or 
age,  yet  it  hopes  to  find  the  vast  majority  of 
the  men  able  to  shuffle  for  themselves  after 
the  first  year,  so  that  we  may  spend  our  time 
helping  the  new  freshman  class  to  get  a  start. 
By  junior  and  senoir  years,  it  is  the  rarest 
possibility  that  there  should  ever  be  a  fatality, 
for  they  have  had  plenty  of  time  to  build  up 
a  reputation  for  themselves,  and  to  work  their 
way  into  a  good  job.  Then  if  they  should  fail 
in  their  effort  to  get  employment,  why,  they 
can  afford  to  borrow  money  in  much  larger 
sums  than  an  underclassman,  because  they 
will  soon  be  out  at  work  and  can  pay  it  back. 
So,  you  see  the  rough  end  of  a  self-help  career 
comes  in  the  first  year.  Ye  freshman,  don’t 
expect  “a  bed  of  roses.”  Come  prepared  to 
play  the  game  and  play  it  hard,  and  as  it 
pinches,  just  remember  there  is  a  better  day 
coming. 

XXIX.  THE  STUDENT  EMPLOYMENT  AS 
SOCIATION :  The  University  of  North  Caro¬ 
lina  has  ever  been  an  institution  where  the 
boy  of  limited  means  was  wanted,  was  en¬ 
couraged  to  work  his  way,  and  respected  by 
faculty  and  students  alike.  Such  men  have 
come  to  the  campus  in  increasing  numbers 
each  year.  To  protect  their  reputation  and 
to  increase  their  opportunities,  the  self-help 
students  have  organized  The  Student  Employ¬ 
ment  Association.  Its  membership  is  open 
to  all  who  do  satisfactory  work.  Its  purpose 
is:  “To  guarantee  perfect  service,  to  increase 
opportun  ties  for  student  employment  and  to 
give  preference  to  the  most  needy.”  When  a 
student  applies  for  self-help  work,  he  thereby 


21 


automatically  becomes  a  member  of  the  Stu¬ 
dent  Employment  Association.  The  President 
of  this  Association  for  1923-24,  is  Mr.  F.  S. 
Griffin,  of  the  Junior  Class. 

XXX.  IT  CAN  BE  DONE :  This  bulletin  may 
seem  to  you  a  very  prosaic  statement  of  the 
Self-help  Business  which  you  are  soon  to 
enter.  It  presents  the  subject  in  a  much  less 
attractive  way,  perhaps,  than  some  of  the  re¬ 
ports  and  rumors  you  have  heard  from  other 
sources.  But  the  definite  purpose  of  this  book¬ 
let  is  to  state  the  case  more  plainly  and  more 
fully  than  ever  before.  It  also  hopes  to  open 
the  way  for  a  real  “Go  to  College  Movement” 
in  this  state,  that  will  bring  to  every  worthy 
son  within  her  borders,  an  opportunity  for  a 
college  education.  The  Self-help  idea  has 
spread  all  over  America,  and  thousands  of  boys 
every  year  are  earning  their  way  through  col¬ 
lege.  It  can  be  done,  it  has  been  done,  it  is 
being  done,  and  YOU  can  do  it.  It  is  entirely 
worth  the  effort,  and  we  invite  you  into  the 
ranks  of  Self-supporting  College  Men.  ’Tis 
tremendously  worth-while  to  have  been  a 
Self-help  Student,  after  it  is  all  over,  for  by 
this  process  you  will  have  got  much  more 
than  JUST  an  education,  and  its  diploma;  you 
have  learned  the  valuable  lesson  of  relyiug 
upon  yourself,  and  have  disciplined  yourself 
in  consistent,  constructive  work,  and  in  self- 
control.  You  will  have  developed  vitally  im¬ 
portant  faculties  that  still  lie  dormant  in  the 
fellow  by  your  side,  who  didn’t  have  to  work. 


22 


. 


, 

. 


Photomount 
Pamphlet 
Binder 
Gaylord  Bros. 

Makers 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

pftj  IAU  91  ions 

UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00037508697 


FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 


THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


